Polish foreign minister arrives in Sweden

Poland's new foreign minister, Anna Fotyga, arrived in Sweden on Tuesday for talks with her Swedish counterpart and to speak at a seminar on European Union enlargement.

Photo: Polish foreign minister arrives in Sweden

Fotyga, who was appointed Poland's first female foreign minister on May 9, will meet Swedish Foreign Minister Jan Eliasson, who is also new on the job.

Both will participate in a seminar titled "EU enlargement, experiences in Poland, Ireland and Sweden," arranged by the Swedish Foreign Ministry, the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, the Polish Embassy in Stockholm and the Institute of Public Affairs.

The 49-year-old Fotyga, a former Solidarity activist and deputy foreign minister, succeeded Stefan Meller, who resigned last month to protest to the governing conservatives' union with a group of Euro-skeptic lawmakers from two smaller parties that allowed the government to gain a majority in parliament.

A longtime associate of President Lech Kaczynski, Fotyga has also served as a member of the European Parliament and an adviser to the World Bank, reports the AP.

I.L.